Prelude to Goddard
Prelude to Goddard is a mission that was originally developed in preparation for Free RPG Day 2012 (which fell on Saturday, June 16). The full version contains a stand-alone "light" version of the WCRPG rules. This page presents the "back half" of the game's guidebook, the part that specifically contains the mission data. Mission Preparation The following section contains the materials necessary to conduct the Prelude to Goddard mission. Unless you are the adventure's GM, you should stop reading through this guidebook at this point; reading further will only spoil the mission and may force the GM to do something sneaky such as switching up the order or strength of the encounters. The GM will need a copy of the rules (which shouldn’t be a problem unless something odd happens) and take the time to review them thoroughly. Text that appears in italics is player information, which the GM can read aloud or paraphrase to players as appropriate. Text in bold contains specific information for the GM. Plain text acts as a guide for the GM so that they may know what is intended to happen with each of the various encounters.The GM should thoroughly familiarize themselves with all craft statistics in preparation for the adventure. Prior to the start of the adventure, the GM will need to sit down with each player and have them either select one of the pilots listed at the end of this section to play during the mission or have them create one of their own. If a player elects to take on the role of Major Cardenas (the ship's CAG), the players will need to decide what fighters they would like to fly: ''Hornets, Scimitars or Raptors. If no one chooses to play the Major, the GM may make a selection of their own or simply have the group fly Scimitars.'' Adventure Background This adventure takes place in late 2654, after the end of Wing Commander I and prior to the beginning of Secret Missions I. The Confederation has destroyed the Kilrathi Sector Command starbase in the Venice System. Kilrathi Crown Prince Gilkarg nar Kiranka, Grand Admiral of the combined Kilrathi Fleets, has been personally overseeing the development of a new weapon - the Proton Accelerator Gun - at the colony on Warhammer XII. With the fall of the connecting Venice system, the invasion of Warhammer imminent and with the weapon essentially complete, Gilkarg orders it to be loaded and readied aboard KIS Sivar. He subsequently orders the first field test of the new weapon on the Warhammer colony itself rather than risk letting it fall into Confederation hands. The test is a complete success, utterly destroying the Kilrathi colony in a single blast. When Confederation forces finally enter Warhammer to claim the system (on 2654.305, eighteen days after the fall of Venice), they find the remains of the Warhammer colony and begin an analysis of the wreckage. It rapidly becomes clear that no known weapons system or natural phenomenon short of a supernova could cause the level of damage that destroyed the colony. Something new is at work - something that, Confederation Intelligence quickly realizes, will probably be turned on the Confederation next... The race begins to find out more information about this new weapon before it's too late. (Of course, if you're familiar with Wing Commander history, you know what happens next: the total destruction of the Goddard colony on 2654.326 - Wednesday, November 22nd, the day before Thanksgiving that year...). On 2654.307 at the behest of Intel, Fleet Command begins planning an intelligence operation in the Hawkins system (Downing Quadrant, Vega Sector), based on the presence of two Task Groups in neighboring systems (specifically RIF Group 47 centered on TCS Canterbury (DD-289) in the Ymir system, and the 43rd Marine Battalion - an elite group known as the Reavers - in the Tyr system). Intel knows of a Kilrathi fuel depot in Hawkins that's reportedly very close to the Tyr jump point and hopes that by sending in the Marines to infiltrate the base, they can learn more about the new weapon. Fleet Command knows the Marines are engaged in some heavy fighting in Tyr, and so they only assign one company to the job in Hawkins and leave their escorts in Tyr; the Canterbury's group will be charged with providing cover as the Marines make their run. The players are part of VF-47, Osprey Squadron, the sole fighter group assigned to Canterbury and her escorts. It'll be their task to keep the Kilrathi off the backs of the Marines while they make their run. Hawkins System - Nav Map Hawkins is a star system in the rimward and spinward corner of the Downing Quadrant of Vega Sector. It's in Kilrathi territory and home to a single base, a Kilrathi Star Post that serves as a refueling point for raiders originating in the Sa'Khan Quadrant of Epsilon Sector and Kur'u Caxki Quadrant of Kilrah Sector. KIS Sivar stopped by this base to take on additional fuel on its way to Goddard (which was an additional seven jumps from there). The system contains an extensive asteroid belt that comes within a hundred thousand kilometers of Nav 1 and Nav 4 and runs the entire length of the system. Travelling from Nav 1 or Nav 4 to any other point in the system (except for each other) will require travel through the asteroids for approximately 50,000 kilometers. The Star Post is located in a somewhat less dense portion of the field and the Cats have gone to great lengths to space lanes clear of rocks along the major routes leading to the base. Nav Point Reference *'Nav 1 (26x59)': Jump to the Ymir System. *'Nav 2 (23x34)': Jump to the Masa System. *'Nav 3 (10x28)': Jump to the Qua'lat System. *'Nav 4 (68x86)': Jump to the Tyr System. *'Nav 5 (71x85)': Kilrathi Fuel Depot / Asteroid Field *'Nav 6 (86x18)': Jump to the K'n T'qal System. The Mission Briefing If one of the players has taken on the role of Major Cardenas, the GM should have them read the briefing text out loud to the rest of the player group; otherwise the GM will assume the role themselves. The GM will begin the mission by reading the following text aloud: GM: We begin in the ready room of TCS ''Canterbury. The mood in the room is fairly light as pilots begin filtering in. After a few minutes, with the small group that encompasses the entirety of Canterbury's aerospace squadron assembled, Major Aquiles "Pueblo" Cardenas, ship's CAG, enters the room. The assembled pilots come to attention as the Major crosses to the podium. He takes his place there and orders the squadron at-ease. After the group has sat down, he begins the briefing.'' MAJ Cardenas: Gentlemen, as you are well aware, we've been spending the last few days mopping up Kilrathi resistance here in Ymir system. Fleet Command is satisfied with our progress thus far and has given us our next assignment. Half an hour from now, our Task Group will be jumping to the Hawkins system. The Major will pause at this point to pull up the system's map. The GM may show the system map to each of the players if they wish. MAJ Cardenas: We have received intelligence that a Kilrathi refueling depot is located in this system somewhere in the vicinity of Nav 5. Fleet Command has ordered forces from the 43rd Marine Battalion - that's the Reavers, folks - to infiltrate the base, gather as much intelligence as they can and get out. The Reavers are currently located in Tyr system, which also has a jump tunnel to Hawkins. Our orders are to rendezvous with the Reavers at the jump point to Tyr at Nav 4, escort them to the objective and to destroy the outpost once the Marines have completed their mission there. The Major then brings up the mission map. Again, the GM may show the system map to each of the players if they wish. MAJ Cardenas: Since it's going to be just us providing fighter support for the Marines, we can't send everybody. Alpha Wing will be... At this point the Major will list off the callsigns of the player characters. If the Major himself is among the players, he'll simply refer to "himself". MAJ Cardenas: Alpha will be flying (insert selected fighter name) for this hop. You will proceed ''to the edge of an asteroid field near the Masa jump point at mission Nav 1. From there, you'll proceed to the Tyr jump point at mission Nav 2. The Reavers convoy is scheduled to arrive in Hawkins about an hour-and-a-half from now. You'll secure the area around the jump point and await the arrival of the convoy. Once it arrives, you'll link up with the convoy's transports and escort them to the objective at mission Nav 3. Once the target has been neutralized, you'll escort the Marines back to mission Nav 2, where Canterbury will be waiting to pick you up. Meanwhile, the rest of the squadron will be babysitting the Task Group'' as we make our way to the Tyr jump point via mission Nav 4. Fleet Command believes that the Cats are fairly spread out at the moment and resistance should be light. Nevertheless, we don't want to tip them off to our presence until its necessary. Alpha Wing will engage any hostiles encountered if the situation looks favorable. Do NOT let any active enemies escape. Fly smart, stay with your wingmen and let's everybody come home. Squadron dismissed. GM: The squadron all comes to attention as the Major leaves the briefing room. Once he's gone, the pilots begin filtering out, making their way towards their assigned craft. 30 minutes later, ''Canterbury and her escorts make the jump. Alpha Wing is given the go for launch one minute later.'' Mission Start Disposition of Forces: *Alpha Wing (VF-47/A) *RIF Task Group 47.6 **DD-289 TCS Canterbury (Exeter-class Destroyer) **FS-983 TCS Athena (Venture-class Corvette) **FS-412 TCS Sophocles (Venture-class Corvette) **AO-1580 TCS Werner (Drayman-class Transport) The GM should read the following aloud: GM: Seconds after launch, you pick up a transmission from ''Canterbury's communications officer: "Alpha Wing, Science Division reports that a major coronal mass ejection is currently in progress within the Hawkins system star. Long-range communication and sensor functions will likely be impaired. Be sure to take extra precautions during the mission. Canterbury out."'' The coronal mass ejection will have the effect of adding a radiation belt effect system-wide. For navigational purposes, this will change the terrain difficulty to Easy for the non-asteroid portions of the mission; fuel consumption will occur at a rate of one fuel point per 15,000 kilometers, with a consumption rate of one fuel point per 10,000 kilometers in asteroid fields. Nav 1 is 100,000 kilometers from the Ymir jump point. Vehicle Piloting DCs will be at -5 and seven fuel points will be expended in the transit regardless of the fighter type: *''Hornets'': Time of transit - 5 min, 33 sec. *''Scimitars'': Time of transit - 11 min, 7 sec. *''Raptors'': Time of transit - 6 min, 40 sec. Encounter One (Hidden Nav) While en route to Nav 1, the players will come across a Kilrathi fighter patrol. What fighters are encountered depends entirely on the size of the player group and what type of fighters they are flying. Disposition of Forces: *Alpha Wing (VF-47/A) *Kilrathi Patrol The GM should read the following text aloud: You're 40,000 klicks out from ''Canterbury when suddenly a number of red blips show up on your radar display!! Kilrathi fighters at 8,000 kilometers and closing fast!!'' The Kilrathi are simply patrolling the system and are not necessarily expecting to run into anyone. The CME began after they launched and at the onset of the encounter they are unaware of the fact that they can't raise their home base. The Kilrathi will happily engage the players for fifteen rounds. After that time, if there are any Kilrathi fighters still active, the GM should choose one of them to leave the encounter- they're leaving to alert the base. The players will need to destroy this fighter before it leaves the encounter. If they don't, they can expect additional forces at the target and an ongoing attack when they head back to Canterbury. Should the departing fighter be destroyed, the GM should select a replacement if another Kilrathi fighter is available. Players will not be required to re-roll their Vehicle Piloting Checks upon termination of the encounter; if all the Kilrathi are dispatched, the GM may inform the players that they may proceed directly to Nav 1. Asteroid Field (Nav 1) Time for the players to begin the long slog through the rocks. Disposition of Forces: *Alpha Wing (VF-47/A) The GM will read the following text aloud: You hear an alert chime from your navigational computer as it clicks off. Up ahead, you see the first few small chunks of rock that signal your approach into the asteroid field. This will be a fairly simple encounter. The players need only to fly their ships thirty range increments in total, avoiding asteroids as they go. The field should be set up to be particularly dense at this point and there should be ample opportunity for all the players to take damage. The players may make their piloting rolls for Nav 2 once they've cleared the area (i.e. travelled thirty increments). The flight will be ambushed 161,555 kilometers from Nav 1. Vehicle Piloting DCs will be at -10 for the asteroids and seventeen fuel points will be expended in the transit regardless of the fighter type: *''Hornets'': Time of transit - 8 min, 59 sec. *''Scimitars'': Time of transit - 17 min, 57 sec. *''Raptors'': Time of transit - 10 min, 46 sec. Encounter Two (Ambush) While en route to the rendezvous at Nav Two, the characters will come across a few Jalthi that appear to have been heavily damaged by the asteroids. Disposition of Forces: *Alpha Wing (VF-47/A) *Kilrathi Ambush Group The GM will read the following text aloud: About a hundred thousand klicks out from Nav 1, your sensors pick a couple of contacts coded grey: unknowns. As you close to within 6,000 kilometers, your sensors can finally make out what they are - ''Jalthi heavy fighters. They appear to have been heavily damaged by the asteroids and look like they're completely out of control.'' This is the "Taggart's Tactics" scenario from Claw Marks. None of the Jalthi are in fact damaged in the slightest; they're lying in ambush. Should the players take the bait, a fairly serious dogfight will result. The Jalthi ''are acting as forward sentries for the Star Post; the ambush tactic is a favorite amongst ''Jalthi pilots in particular. The Jalthi are not particularly aware that the characters are coming but will be quite willing to engage them. This would be a good time to whip out some self-control Checks on those characters who have the Impulsive Complication. The characters can feel free to ignore the fighters without penalty. Bear in mind in this encounter that the characters are still in the asteroid field, regardless of whether or not they fight the Jalthi. Nav 2 is another 342,053 kilometers from the ambush point. Vehicle Piloting DCs will be at -10 for the asteroids and thirty-five fuel points will be expended in the transit regardless of the fighter type: *''Hornets'': Time of transit - 19 min. *''Scimitars'': Time of transit - 38 min. *''Raptors'': Time of transit - 22 min, 48 sec. This will be the longest transit of the entire mission. Rendezvous (Nav 2) The characters arrive at the Nav Point to Tyr, only to find it being guarded - or to find the convoy already under attack. Disposition of Forces: *Alpha Wing (VF-47/A) *Sleipnir Convoy **LPA-432 TCS Sleipnir (Drayman-class Transport) **LPA-492 TCS Helhest (Drayman-class Transport) **LPA-497 TCS Valravn (Drayman-class Transport) *Kilrathi Patrol The GM should read the following text aloud: As your nav computer clicks off near the Tyr Jump Point and the last rock flies past, you see red dots on your radar!! The GM should have been keeping track of how much time had elapsed since the start of the mission. If more than seventy minutes have passed, the Sleipnir Convoy has already arrived and will find themselves in the thick of things. In this case, each ship in the convoy should have their shields and armor depleted, plus one percent of Core Damage for every minute that's passed since their jump. If this occurs, the GM should read the following text aloud: You also see three blue dots ahead - the convoy has already arrived and the Kilrathi are pounding it hard!!! Otherwise, the GM should read the following text aloud: Kilrathi fighters are guarding the jump point!! The Marine Transports are the overriding priority for the entire mission - if they are all destroyed, the mission will have to be scrubbed and the characters will have a welcoming committee waiting for them at Nav 4 '(see the Nav 4 encounter for further instructions)'. If, however, the characters have arrived prior to the arrival of the convoy, they need merely to dispatch all Kilrathi fighters at the jump point. The size of this encounter will not depend on whether or not the Kilrathi were alerted to the presence of the characters during the first encounter. If they were not, one of the Kilrathi fighters will attempt to leave the encounter to warn their home base of the impending threat, with the same potential set of results as what could've occurred during the first encounter. The convoy may jump in during the encounter; if so, they simply need to be added to the order of battle. If the Kilrathi are all dispatched prior to their arrival, the GM may have them jump in early after the last Kilrathi craft is destroyed (to move the mission along). The objective at Nav 3 is only 31,623 kilometers from Nav 2. Vehicle Piloting DCs will be at -5 and three fuel points will be expended in the transit regardless of the fighter type. All fighters will have to slow down to 100 kps, the cruise speed of the transports. *''All fighters'': Time of transit - 5 min, 16 sec. Nav 4 (where the players will go from here if they fail the mission) is 375,000 kilometers from Nav 2. Vehicle Piloting DCs will be at -5 and twenty-five fuel points will be expended in the transit regardless of the fighter type. *''Hornets'': Time of transit - 20 min, 50 sec. *''Scimitars'': Time of transit - 41 min, 40 sec. *''Raptors'': Time of transit - 25 min, 0 sec. Objective (Nav 3) The characters arrive at the objective and begin the process of neutralizing its defenses. Disposition of Forces: *Alpha Wing (VF-47/A) *Sleipnir Convoy *Kilrathi BarCAP Group *If the players allowed an enemy fighter to escape either during their first encounter or during the encounter at Nav 2, an additional 4 Dralthi-II will be present regardless of the actual number/type of PC fighters present. The GM should read the following text aloud: As your nav computer chimes your approach to the objective, you can see a massive Kilrathi space station off in the distance. Your radar lights up in a sea of red blips!! The Cats will have some idea of what's going on when they see the transports. If they have multiple fighter types available, the heavier fighters will target the transports while the lighter fighters engage the characters. Should there only be one type of fighter present, half of those fighters (rounded up) will target the transports. It will be up to the GM to keep track of what the objectives for each enemy craft regardless. Once the objective of a Kilrathi craft has been set, it won't change for the duration of the encounter. While the fight is ongoing, the Marine transports will be maneuvering to dock with the station. All three transports can dock simultaneously. To do so, they'll simply need to move in for a standard docking action. The Star Post will be firing at the transports as they approach; if the players destroy all the Kilrathi fighters, the GM might suggest performing a defense suppression run on the station. Once docked, it will take time for the Marines to complete their mission - 30 rounds if only one transport makes it, 20 if two transports make it, and 10 if all three transports make it. If the base is destroyed prior to the completion of the Marines' mission or if all three transports are destroyed, the characters fail the mission and the Nav 4 encounter will be triggered (see the Nav 4 encounter for further instructions). The base must be destroyed before the characters can leave the area. Nav 2 is only 31,623 kilometers from Nav 3. Vehicle Piloting DCs will be at -5 and three fuel points will be expended in the transit regardless of the fighter type. All fighters will have to slow down to 100 kps, the cruise speed of the transports. *''All fighters'': Time of transit - 5 min, 16 sec. Nav 4 is 175,000 kilometers from Nav 3. Vehicle Piloting DCs will be at -5 and twelve fuel points will be expended in the transit regardless of the fighter type. *''Hornets'': Time of transit - 9 min, 43 sec. *''Scimitars'': Time of transit - 19 min, 27 sec. *''Raptors'': Time of transit - 11 min, 40 sec. Mission Accomplished (Nav 2) With the mission finished, it's time to go home. Disposition of Forces: *Alpha Wing (VF-47/A) *Sleipnir Convoy *RIF Group 47 The GM should read the following text aloud: As the ships of the Task Group come back into sight, ''Canterbury hails you.'' Canterbury: "Well done, Alpha Wing. ''Sleipnir's already started sending us the data they collected from the station's computers. Hopefully now they can tell us a little bit more about what this whole shindig was about. You're cleared; bring 'em on back in."'' Landing simply requires a successful Vehicle Piloting Check. Pilots will bolter and have to make another attempt on a failed Check. On a critical failure, the player involved will have to make a Check for a Ramming action. The GM does have the option of requiring the players to fly to Canterbury, but there's not much point in doing that other than for flavor or for prolonging the mission. Once the players are all on the deck, the GM may give whatever kind of debriefing spiel they wish (it should be generally positive, though there may be some room for negativity based on the number of transports that came back.) Mission Fail (Nav 4) The Marine transports have been destroyed and the mission has had to be scrubbed. Meanwhile, Canterbury ''and her escorts have run into some trouble of their own... Disposition of Forces: *Alpha Wing (VF-47/A) *Beta Wing (VF-47/B) *RIF Group 47 *Kilrathi Strike Group '''After waiting for ten rounds, the GM should read the following text aloud once one of the mission failure conditions occurs:' As you continue your efforts to extract yourself from the current engagement, you receive a long-distance message from ''Canterbury. Ordinarily you'd be glad to hear from your carrier, but in this case they're reporting that they have come across enemy forces at Nav 4 and are under attack!! You better finish up what you're doing and high-tail it over there as quickly as you can!!'' Upon arrival at Nav 4, the GM should read the following text aloud: Your nav computer clicks off for Nav 4. About 12,000 clicks ahead, you can clearly see ''Canterbury and her escorts getting pounded by Kilrathi fighters!!'' Canterbury and her escorts will have their shields and armor depleted in one quarter when the players arrive and they'll have a percentage of Core Damage equal to the number of minutes that have passed between the issuance of the distress call and the arrival of the players. At this point, it's up to the characters to see to it that Canterbury is not destroyed. If it is, the characters will be stranded, at which point the GM should end the adventure by saying those dreadful words out loud - "With your carrier destroyed, you drift endlessly through the void." The Kilrathi will target any active Confederation ship during this encounter. Beta Wing will be utilizing the lightest fighter craft still available to them (generally Hornets and/or Scimitars). Once all the enemy fighters are destroyed, the players will be given permission to land their fighters, after which the GM may give whatever kind of debriefing spiel they wish (though it should be generally negative in this case.) Landing simply requires a successful Vehicle Piloting Check. Pilots will bolter and have to make another attempt on a failed Check. On a critical failure, the player involved will have to make a Check for a Ramming action. What's Next? Once the mission is complete, there are several things a GM could do to follow it up. Here are some suggestions: *Some of the fighters in this mission are not part of the standard compliment for a Kilrathi Star Post; there could be a larger Kilrathi presence in the system, which the brass will want hunted down and destroyed. *Perhaps Canterbury's group will learn where KIS Sivar has jumped and will be ordered to trail it in an (ultimately futile) attempt to pursue it. *After the attack on Goddard, Canterbury's group could be charged with mapping out some of the Sa'Khan Quadrant in an attempt to figure out where KIS Sivar might go in order to refuel. Of course, the GM is welcome to make some alterations to the mission itself: *An obvious thing to do is switch up the fighters or to have the players play as a different pilot. *Perhaps another target could be available at the objective point (such as a Snakeir-class carrier in the process of refueling). *Or perhaps the mission could be played from the Kilrathi perspective...... The possibilities of further play are limited only by the limits of the GM's imagination. Enough additional materials have been included in this guidebook to make further WC1-era missions fairly easily to build; even more materials (including stats for craft from the later Wing Commander games) can be found with the full WCRPG rules, which is available at http://wcrpg.wikia.com. The Pilots of VF-47 Gwyndraig Roc White Wolf Falcon Casanova Sentry Trigger Buck Pāhoehoe Pueblo Nightstalker (Kilrathi Pilot) The following table is for a generic, 200-hero point Kilrathi Pilot; all Kilrathi pilots in the mission will use the following set of stats. Alternatively, GMs may take the time to develop their own Kilrathi pilots for use with the mission. Category:WCRPG Missions and Campaigns